Claude Atcher, the chief executive officer of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, has been fired by the organizing committee’s board of directors. The board has appointed Julien Collette as the new chief executive and Martine Nemeck as deputy chief executive.
The decision to sack Atcher follows a long-running investigation into his managerial conduct. Atcher was suspended from the role in August, as reported earlier this year by SGI Europe. In June, the sports newspaper L’Equipe had described “alarming managerial practices” and “infringements of financial probity” within the event’s organizing committee. A report by the French Labour Inspectorate has now concluded that he oversaw an “extremely degraded social environment” at the event’s organizing committee. “Taking note of the report’s conclusions, France 2023’s board has decided to terminate the contract of its CEO, Mr. Claude Atcher,” France 2023 said in a statement on Oct 11.
